It has been a few weeks since I sat down to write and I’ve missed it but I’ve had a few family issues (all pleasant) that have taken priority….the main one being my daughter’s graduation from Officer Development School in Newport, Rhode Island. I’d been to Newport on a few occasions in the past but never for an event so emotional, meaningful and humbling. I had the privilege to hear Rear Admiral Elizabeth Wagner, DMD of the United States Navy speak to my daughter’s graduation class. Her topic was the title of this BLOG….Character and Competence. I will write on this topic at a later date for I feel I cannot do the topic justice or give Admiral Wagner the honor she deserves with the time that I have over the next few months. I do, however, want to write a few lines about the individuals that made up the members of Class 15050 of the Juliet Company, all professionals: Doctors, Lawyers, Nurses, Physician Assistants, Health Care Administrators, Cyber Warfare Technologists, Nuclear Specialists…the youngest member is 21 years old…a nurse from Ohio…and the oldest member is a ‘prior’, a 41 year old Health Care Administrator. Many of the individuals in this group had already served in the military, one branch or another and utilized the benefit of the United States Government known as the GI Bill to either return to or begin college to obtain an undergraduate degree or graduate degree in one of the professions notated above. Besides having the privilege of meeting Admiral Wagner and admiring her comments on Character and Competence, among many others, I met a young man who was born in England, came to the United States at 14, became a US citizen and joined the army and once he completed his tour of duty, went on to obtain an undergraduate and law degree. He then joined the Navy and will serve as a JAG Officer. He finally had to turn in his British passport for I learned that although one can have dual passports to be enlisted in the American military, one may not be an Officer in the Navy while carrying two (2) passports. I met a Cornell undergrad who went to Columbia Law School, worked for a few years and decided he wanted to serve his country so he is now a Naval JAG Officer…a young woman who will graduate Medical School in the Midwest in a few days and will serve our country in the capacity of a Naval Physician as an Anesthesiologist….she will do all of her residency training under the auspices of the Naval Doctors in Naval Hospitals…the young nurse from Bowling Green, OH who grew up a Navy ‘brat’ for her father is a retired Chief Officer, a non-commissioned rank….one of the more emotional experiences of graduation day was seeing her father salute her…she has a higher rank than he… My initial shock was standing with my daughter prior to the graduation ceremony and having individuals pass and salute while saying ‘good morning, ma’am’….I am still in awe that they were saluting my daughter…at first, I thought they might have been greeting me. I am still in awe of what my daughter has chosen to do with her life and her profession but having been to the Naval Command Training Center in Newport, Rhode Island, I now truly understand and respect her passion all the more. For, she is not alone in her love, respect and admiration for her profession and her country…there were 64 other Juliet Company members that feel the same way she does…they are now heading in many different directions, literally and figuratively to begin their careers as members of our armed services. I wish that we could all love our chosen professions and career paths as these young patriots do and will. I have always believed that loving one’s work is a gift that many individuals are not so fortunate to experience. As Admiral Wagner stated in her graduation speech….what lies before them will be unlike any other job they have ever had or will have and, most assuredly, regardless of how long each remains on active duty, it will be a time of their lives upon which they will look back with much pride and satisfaction. To paraphrase Admiral Wagner…I wish them all Fair Winds and Following Seas and I wish God’s blessings on all of them. Congratulations and Thank You to each and every one of them!

I will return with my twice weekly BLOGs this coming weekend with a synopsis of various and sundry happenings in the Human Resources' world. Please remember that if you have any questions from either an employer or employee perspective, please contact me, Rosanne Bennett at 484-798-1236 or info@scbhrserv.com and I will do my best to help you.